Her little brother
by AniZH
Summary: Jade's little brother doesn't seem to like her and Beck getting back together. Beck understands perfectly.
Hello!
This one shot is a small and random one but I like it and thought, possibly some of you would enjoy it too.  
Have fun reading in any case. :)

* * *

Beck's glad to be back. Yes, Jade and he always spent most time in his RV or out but he has also been to her house fairly often and definitely often enough that it also feels like home. Now, he is finally back after months and it feels right.

Until Jasper, Jade's eight-year-old brother, comes into the kitchen.

Jade's mother has called for him two times and now, she, Jade and Beck already sit around the table and get food on their plates when he finally comes in.

But he stops in his tracks as soon as he sees Beck, his whole expression darkens, then he looks to Jade and to his mother and finally says: "Ugh. I'm not hungry." He is out the door again the very next second.

"Whoa," Jade says with raised eyebrows. "What bit him?"

"I don't know," her mother honestly answers. "He was fine when he came out of school. Huh. But I guess for some kids teenager-attitudes come early and we all know how those go."

Jade instantly glares at her but she just smiles back and Beck has really missed this. Jade's mother who is so loving and Jade and her being so close in their own way, her mother making remarks from time to time that are little stabs at Jade but somehow in the best ways possible because she still loves her little girl obviously so much.

Beck has to smile until he thinks of Jasper again and... He knows he has stopped the moment he has seen Beck. Beck is back for the first time since his and Jade's break-up. They have gotten back together two days earlier. He has seen Jasper for the first time in months. He hasn't expected that reaction. Jade's mother has been so extremely welcoming and obviously happy about him being back. And maybe he also wouldn't have expected that, her family sort of welcoming him back with open arms, because he and Jade have been broken up for a few months and it must be weird for everyone to see them back together but... that look just now...

And he knows why Jasper doesn't want to eat with him in the same room. He understands. He doesn't get why he hasn't expected this, why he hasn't thought of it earlier.

He knows that he himself has shown his pain to barely anyone after the break-up – if to anyone at all. He isn't even sure his friends had noticed how much he had missed Jade. He hadn't told his parents for the first few weeks after because he knew they would have even been happy about the break-up as they didn't like Jade.

Meanwhile... Jasper and her mother probably have seen Jade being hurt over all of it.

Beck swallows hard.

.

Jade tells her mother a little about school while they eat and Beck is still in thought, then Jade and he leave the kitchen while her mother cleans up.

"You can go up to my room," Jade tells him. "I want to ask Jasper what's up."

"Maybe, I should talk to him," he slowly says.

Jade seems totally confused. "Why?"

And did she really not notice? "I think he was like that because of me."

That doesn't resolve Jade's confusion. "He likes you. He always has."

Beck swallows hard again. "That was before the break-up though."

Now, Jade seems to understand. Beck takes a deep breath. "Maybe, I should have a talk with him. You know... To straighten things out."

He doesn't even know how to do a talk like that, how to start it but Jade already raises an eyebrow: "Like man to man? Seriously?" She rolls her eyes before she decides: "Let's both go."

She grabs his hand before he can even get the idea to protest and pulls him into her brother's room.

Jasper sits on his bed and plays with his playstation. She lets go of Beck's hand and turns the TV monitor off.

He has shortly looked at them as they came in, has probably decided to ignore them, but now looks up at Jade angrily: "Hey! I was in the middle of a game."

"Deal with it," Jade answers and sits down on the bed next to him. "Why are you so weird?"

Jasper doesn't look at her or Beck but at the floor in front of him while he presses his lips together.

"Is it because of Beck?" Jade bluntly asks. She has never been one to talk around.

And it does make Jasper look up and into her face. "I don't understand why he's back."

"Because we're back together," Jade simply replies.

"He hurt you," Jasper defiantly says.

Jade keeps looking directly as her younger brother as she answers: "He did."

Beck feels too uncomfortable already, them talking like he isn't even in the room, now he finally has to put in, honest: "I'm sorry for that, Jasper." Because he is. He has never ever wanted to hurt Jade.

Now, Jasper finally looks at him. "You made her cry."

It almost breaks Beck's heart to hear those words that factual out of Jade's younger brother's mouth.

"I never wanted to do that."

"Jasper," Jade pulls the attention back to her. "He didn't break up with me. We broke up with each other. We both hurt each other. But it's all done now."

It is done because they have talked about it – as much as they needed to. They both aren't very big talkers and actually both already understood by the time they kissed up on that stage at the Full Moon Jam.

"Still," Jasper says, looking down to the floor again.

Jade lightly shoves him. "Come on. You have known him since you were five years old and you have always loved him. You can't tell me you suddenly hate him."

Beck feels warmth spread through his body. One of the many things he loves about Jade is how much she actually does care about the people she loves, how much she does care about family even if barely anyone appreciates that. But of course it's important to her that her brother like her boyfriend.

However, he also notices again how low her self-esteem can sometimes be though she pretends so well like it's not at all. But now she doesn't even get that her brother can really dislike someone on her behalf, just because they have hurt her. Beck gets it. Of course, he dislikes him now.

Jasper doesn't say anything to that but Beck speaks up again, finally also taking a step closer to the young boy. "I understand where you're coming from, Jasper. You saw how much I hurt your sister. I wish I could take it all back. But sadly, I can't."

Jasper looks up to him again and their eyes meet. Jade always looks like him as if she wants and is able to read his soul. It's the first time Jasper looks at him like that. He lets it happen, tries to show him that he really really means it. If he could turn back time, he would. He would try to change that damn night, would open the door, would run after her and work through all these problems they had. But he can't.

After a while, Jasper looks back to Jade. "So... You're back together for good?"

They share a glance for the first time since they are in Jasper's room, then Jade says: "We are."

Jasper nods and stands up. He draws himself up as he turns back to Beck. "Then know: If you ever ever hurt her again, I will hurt you."

He is just eight years old and definitely not a threat for Beck but Beck still knows this boy means it. And he would try everything to get him back if there ever was a next time.

"I don't need you to protect me," Jade says, rolling her eyes.

"You don't," Jasper answers, turning back to her again. "But you would hurt anyone who hurts me. I will do the same for you. And he should know that I will protect you, even if you don't need protection."

"Stupid," Jade calls him but there is that soft smile on her face that's reserved for very few people – and Beck is lucky to count himself as one of them -, then she hugs her little brother.

It's when they break apart that Beck speaks up again: "I take your words to heart. And I also want to protect her. I don't want to be the person she needs protection from."

He sees that Jade rolls her eyes again because she definitely doesn't want to be the girl that needs protection by guys, the damsel in distress. But this isn't about that. This has to do with Jasper and Beck loving her and therefore wanting to protect her just like she wants to protect them. Them wanting to protect her not because she is a girl but out of love.

Jasper looks at him for another while before he decides: "I guess it's fine then. I mean... I can't hold a grudge if you're going to be my brother one day."

And then, he hugs him too and it feels so good to have him back as well. The boy that really does feel like a little brother to him – and that one day will be by marriage.


End file.
